On Saturday, 9 January 2021, a major fire occurred in Mexico City in a combined substation and control centre of the local metro network. A policewoman was killed and at least 30 people were injured. As the Buen Tono facility is a central control centre, lines 1 to 6 of the metro were out of service over the weekend. Due to the weekend and the Covid-19 pandemic, traffic chaos was limited. Immediate bus replacement services were put in place. On Monday, the new trolley buses of the STE transport company were also used.
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The fire happened on 9 January 2021 I © Roberto Castañeda 
The building houses a substation and the operations control centre I © Roberto Castañeda 
View of the operations control centre after the fire I © @Dalila_Sarabia / Twitter.
The so-called “Delicias 67” building is the “brain” of the metro. It houses the Central Control Centre (PCC), and the Buen Tono substation (SEAT), which supplies power to lines 1, 2 and 3 of the STC metro network. The substation is in a modernisation process, as it has been in operation for 50 years. in use for 50 years.
Mexico has a total of 12 metro lines that cover a route network of 200. The network is used by 4.5 million people every day (figures from 2019).
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Closed metro station I © Roberto Castañeda 
Also the metro shops remain closed I © Roberto Castañeda 
For the time being, there are no trains on lines 1 to 3 – the picture shows two Bombardier CAF trains on line 2 I © UTM
Services on lines 4, 5 and 6 resumed on Monday morning, services resumed with a reduced 5-minute frequency. It is currently uncertain when the trains on the older lines 1, 2 and 3 will be back in service. No statements have been made about the causes of the fire. An attack has been ruled out. Expert investigations are being are being carried out to determine the cause of the fire.
Large parts of the metro infrastructure and vehicles are outdated and have only been partially renewed since the 1970s. A few years ago, a modernisation programme was which includes the renewal of the fleet, stations and signalling technology.
Start of operation for new Yutong trolleybuses
In July 2021, the STE transport authority received the first of 50 new Yutong articulated trolleybuses from China, which are to be used on the new elevated trolleybus BRT route between Constitución de 1917 and UACM Casa Libertad. In terms of interior and exterior design as well as colour scheme, the trolleybuses are similar to the 12-metre variant, of which a total of 63 have been in service on the North-South Line 1 since the turn of 2019/ 2020. We reported here: https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/start-of-operation-and-further-yutong-low-floor-trolleybuses-in-mexico-city/
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The first day of operation of the new Yutong articulated trolleybuses I © Roberto Castañeda 
Interior view I © Roberto Castañeda 
The 18 m trolleybuses will be operated on the new BRT Trolleybus line I © Roberto Castañeda
The articulated vehicles have a length of 18-metre and are equipped with a battery for overhead line-free operation. operation. The range is 25 km.
Due to the temporary cancellation of metro lines 1 to 3, the 18-metre trolleybuses have been reinforcing the traffic on the trolley bus line 1.
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Rear view of a 18 m Yutong trolleybus I © Antonio Reyes 
The first Yutong Articulated trolleybus has been delivered in July 2020 to Mexico City I © Antonio Reyes
Between July and November 2020, Yutong delivered a total of 50 articulated trolleybuses to Mexico City I © Antonio Reyes
The construction work on the elevated BRT trolleybus line began in 2020 and is now a good third of the way completed. According to media reports, the line will be in operation as early as April 2021.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the reintroduction of more reintroduction of more trolleybus lines in the Mexican capital has been stalled. In 2020, in addition to the 50 articulated trolleybuses, another 50 12-metre trolleybuses were procured.
New Battery-trolleybus extensions
Further to the above changes, the following trolleybus lines have been extended as battery trolleybus lines, operated with the battery system of the Yutong trolleybuses:
- Line 1: Central del Norte – Metro Miguel Ángel de Quevedo (ca. 4 km)
- Line 2: Metro Chapultepec – Metro Velódromo – Metro Pantitlán (ca. 12.7 km)
